A SEXUAL predator who abused a teenage boy after grooming him through a gay website is now behind bars.

James Robert Burnett was last week jailed for three years after he admitted five counts of sexually abusing the boy on two separate occasions.

Burnett, 28, of Cyffylliog, Ruthin, began grooming the boy, aged 14, after the two met on a gay networking website.

Burnett told the boy, who can’t be named for legal reasons, that he was 19 and the two began to regularly contact each other through the site, despite his victim telling Burnett he was under the age of consent.

In January 2008 the two met at Middlebrook Retail Park in Bolton before he drove the boy to Rivington, Lancashire.

It was here that Burnett revealed his real age and abused his victim.

He arranged to meet the boy the following week in a hotel and sexually abused him several times.

When the boy returned home his mother checked his mobile phone and found a text message from Burnett, which said he had “rushed him”.

Police were then called and an investigation launched.

Detective Constable Mike Cooke, from the Public Protection Investigation Unit, warned parents to be vigilant about what websites their children are using.

He said: “Burnett knew exactly how old his victim was but still continued to make contact with him, meet up with him and sexually abuse him.

“He is a lot older and clearly took advantage of a potentially confused youngster for his own sexual gratification.

“There are no excuses whatsoever for what he has done and it is thanks to the vigilance of the victim’s mother that Burnett has been brought to justice.

“The use of chatrooms is common place among young people and I would urge parents to be attentive and mindful of what their children may being doing when using the internet.”

Burnett was sentenced at Bolton Crown Court on May 18 after admitting two counts of meeting a child after sexual grooming and five counts of sexual activity with a child.